Aliens ruled out for why Tabby’s star flickers

Puzzle over where light-dimming dust comes from still remains

Tabby's star

DUST IN THE WIND  Dust surrounding KIC 8462852 (known as Tabby’s star), shown in this artist’s illustration, could explain the star’s odd dips in light. But scientists don’t know where the dust came from.

JPL-Caltech/NASA

The first observations of Tabby’s star flickering in real time have put the last nails in the “it’s-an-alien-megastructure” coffin.